Davenport bed



' M. FOX

DAVENPORT BED Aug": 25, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1956 rrzegr M. FOX

DAVENPORT BED Aug. 25, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 4, 1956 FIE- Aug. 25, 1959 I M. FO X DAVENPORT, BED

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 4, 1956 DAVENPORT BED Martin Fox, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Seng Company,

a corporation of Illinois Application January 4, 1956, Serial No. 557,394

2 Claims. c1. -13) This invention relates to an improved davenport bed construction of the type in which a folding bed bottom in davenport position has its head bed section in an upright position at the rear of the davenport frame and the foot bed section invented to provide a seat deck.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a folding bed bottom assembly which may be shipped to a furniture manufacturer in relatively compact form and which may be readily mounted in a davenport frame with the support arms for the folding bed bottom in their proper positions with respect to each other so as to assure correct operation of the bed bottom assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bed bottom assembly in which the rear swinging support arms are connected by an equalizing rod which is coplanar with the bed bottom in bed position and which in davenport position is slightly forward of the upright head bed section so as to serve as a mattress stop.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a davenport 'bed taken substantially as indicated along the line 11 of Fig. 4, the bed bottom being shown in an intermediate position between bed position and davenport position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l with the bed bottom in davenport position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on -an enlarged scale taken substantially as indicated along the line 33 of Fig. 4 with the swinging rear support arm for the bed bottom removed, the upright support bracket being shown in broken lines in folded position for shipping;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken as indicated along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken as indicated along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. 7

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a folding bed bottom assembly, indicated generally at 10, is mounted in a davenport frame indicated generally at 11. The davenport frame includes end frame members 12 having upright bracket mounting portions 13 adjacent the rear of the frame and a front rail.1 4 which connects the two end frame members 12. There is also a back frame portion 15 and arm portions 16, and the entire frame 11 is supported on front and rear foot 17. i

The bed bottom assembly includes a pair of mounting means, indicated generally at 18, consisting of side mounting plates 19 and rear mounting brackets 23. As

best seen in Fig. 3, side plates 19 have front flanges 20 secured to the front rail 14 of the davenport frame, and

Patented Aug. 25, 1959 each plate is provided in its lower margin with an open notch 21 which is supported on a wood screw 22 projecting inwardly from the end frame member 12. At the rear of each side mounting plate 19 is a pivot 23a for the rear mounting bracket 23 which, as best seen in Fig. 4, is secured to the bracket mounting portions 13 of the davenport frame by means of screws 24 extending through a hole 23b in the bracket, there being a spacer 24a between each bracket 23 and the bracket mounting portion 13. The upper end portions of the brackets '23 are offset inwardly as seen at 23a and are provided with fixed pivot studs 26 for swinging rear bed bottom supporting arms 27 which are detachably secured to the studs 26 by friction snap fasteners 27a so that the arms 27 may be secured to the studs 26 at the time the bed bottom 10 is mounted in -a davenport frame 11. An equalizing rod 28 connects the supporting arms 27. Adjacent the forward end of each mounting plate 19 is a pivot bracket 29 which carries a pivot 30 for a front supporting arm 31. The front supporting arms are connected by an equalizing bar 32.

The folding bed bottom is formed of four articulated bed sections 33, 34, 35 and '36 which are pivotally connected at 37, 38 and 39. It will be understood that the bed sections may occupy a bed position in which the sections 35 and 36 are coplanar with the sections 33 and 34, in addition to the intermediate and davenport position of Figs. 1 and 2. Each of the articulated bed sections is formed in the conventional manner from angle members, and a continuous wire spring structure of conventional type (not shown) is mounted in said bed sections to support an innerspring mattress M, shown in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2. Transverse brace members 40 and 41 are positioned, respectively, adjacent the pivots 37, and approximately midway between the pivots 38 and 39 to resist twisting of the bed frame as it is folded or unfolded.

The bed section 33 is a head bed section and is pivoted at 42 to .the free ends of the rear bed supporting arms 27. The forward portion of the bed bottom is foldably carried on the front bed support arms 31 by means of short truss links 43 which are pivoted at 44 to the upper ends of the front support arms and at 45 to the intermediate bed section '34. Control links 46 extend from the pivots 44 to fixed pivot studs 47 which are on triangular brackets 48 on the head bed section 33. Just forward of the pivots 37 between the head bed section 3-3 and the intermediate bed section 34 are fixed pivot studs 49 for operating pitmans 50 the rear ends of which are pivoted at"51 to the rear support arms 27. The control links 46 are detachably secured to the studs 47 by friction snap fasteners 47a, and the pitmans 50 are similarly secured to the studs 49.

A tension spring 52 extendstfrom a spring arm 53 on each of the forward supporting arms 31 to a stud 54 on the adjacent pitman 50 to assist in initial movement of the mechanism from davenport position.

About halfway from the pivots 45 for the truss links 43 to the pivots 33 between the bed section 34 and the bed section 35 are pivots 55a for roll-over locking plates 55 which are part of a locking mechanism for the davenport bed. The locking plate 55 is designed to rock rocking action as the bed sections are moved from the intermediate position of Fig. l to the davenport position of Fig. 2 an actuating link 43a for the locking plate 55 is pivotally connected at 4312 to the truss link 43 and at 55b to the locking plate 55.

The pivots 38 between the bed sections 34 and also serve as mounting pivots for folding intermediate legs 56 which are connected together by a transverse cross brace 57 and which are provided with pivots 58 for links 59 by means of which the intermediate legs 56 are linked to the locking plates 55 through pivots 60 on said locking plates.

In the bed frame 34 immediately to the rear of the pivots 38 are slots 61 to receive sliding studs 62 for short' bracing links 63, best seen in Fig. 1, which have their other ends pivotally connected to the bed section Also connected to the pivots 6 are guide links 65 which have pivots 66 at their outer ends to make pivotal connection with latch pitmans 67 which in turn are pivoted at 68 to the front bed section 36. Theguide links 65 and latch pitmans 67 constitute the other major portion of the locking mechanism, and cooperate in this respect with the locking plates 55. Mounted on the bed section 35 is a pair of angle brackets 69 to receive a front trim board 70 which surmounts the front rail 14 of the davenport frame 11 when the mechanism is in davenport position, as seen in Fig. 2. Spring covering fabric 71 extends loosely from the front trim board 70 to the end rail 72 of the front bed section 36 so that the davenport cushions do not rest directly upon the spring. At the rear of the trim board 70 is a flexible pull strap 73 which extends through eyelets (not shown) in the fabric 71 so that it may be grasped in folding or unfolding the mechanism.

A pair of front legs 74 are pivoted on the bed section 33 at 75, and leg actuating links 76 connect the upper ends of the leg 74 to pivots 77 on the brackets 69 for the trim board 70.

When the bed bottom is in bed position the head bed section 33 and the intermediate bed section 34 occupy the positions shown in Fig. 1; and it will be noted that in this position the equalizing rod 28 which connects the rear support arms 27 lies in the same plane with the bed bottom. On the other hand, in the davenportposition of Fig. 2 the equalizing rod 28 is somewhat forward of the inner end of the upright head bed section 33- so.

that it may abut the end of the inner-spring mattress M and act as a mattress stop. Some variety of mattress stop is highly desirable in folding davenport bed constructions because the mattress tends to slide off the head of the bed as the bed sections fold attheir pivots during movement of the bed bottom into davenport position.

Particular reference has been made to the fact that the rear support arms 27 are detachably secured to fixed pivot studs 26 by means of snap fasteners and that one end of each of the links 46 and 50 is detachably secured to a fixed pivot stud by means of a snap fastener. This is an important feature in permitting the bed bottom to be shipped in a compact form. It will be understood that a large proportion of the folding bed bottoms for davenport beds are made by manufacturers of furniture mechanisms who sell themto furniture manufacturers for mounting by the furniture manufacturer in a davenport frame which he may procure from another supplier or construct himself. It is important, therefore, that the folding bed bottom assembly 10 be susmanufacturer should be as few as possible. The present construction is believed to be superior in these respects to anything heretofore produced.

The entire folding bed bottom assembly 10 is shipped to the furniture manufacturer completely assembled except for attachment of the appropriate members to the fixed studs 26, 47 and 49. Since the rear mounting arms 27 are free of the upright brackets 23 these brackets may be folded alongside the mounting plates 19. Furthermore, since the links 46 and pitmans 50 are free at one end the head bed section 33 together with the rear mounting arms 27 may be folded to a shipping position immediately overlying the intermediate bed section 34. The foot bed section 36 is swung to its intermediate or davenport position so that for shipping purposes the head bed section 33 lies between the intermediate section 34 and the foot section 36. Freedom of the rear ends of the control links 46 permits the intermediate legs 56 to be folded rearwardly as they would be in davenport position, and the front mounting arms 31 together with the mounting plates 19 and mounting brackets 23 may be swung to positions generally in the same plane with the intermediate bed section 34.

When a furniture manufacturer is ready to mount the folding bed bottom assembly 10 in a davenport frame 11 it is necessary only to make the necessary. attachments of they mounting plates 19 and mounting brackets. 23 to the frame, and connect the proper elements to the fixed pivot studs 26, 47 and 49 by means of friction. snap fasteners in the conventional fashion. As seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the holes 23]) in the rear mounting. brackets 23 are so positioned that when the angle between. the mounting bracket 23 and the mounting plate 19 iscorrect the centers of the holes 23b are perpendicularly above the rear ends of the mounting plates 19 so that when the mounting plates are properly secured to the davenport frame end members 12 the rear ends of the mounting plates serve as guide fixtures for the correct mounting of the rear mounting brackets 23 on the bracket mounting portions 13 of the davenport frame.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

1. A folding bed bottom assembly. adapted to be mounted in a davenport frame which has end frame members and a front rail, said assembly comprising: a pair of mounting means adapted to be mounted on the end frame members of a davenport frame, said mounting means including a front portion and a rear portion; a pair of rear supporting arms pivoted on said rear portion; a pair of front supporting arms pivoted on said front portion; an equalizer rod connecting said rear supporting arms together; and a folding bed bottom having a plurality of articulated bed sections pivotally connected together, said bed sections including a head section pivotally connected to said rear arms and having a head cross rail, and an intermediate section linked to the front mounting arms so that said bed bottoin may move between a horizontal bed position with said sections coplanar and a. davenport position With the head section upright at. therear of the frame and the cross rail uppermost, said equalizer rod' being in the same horizontal plane with said bed sections in bed position, and said rod being slightly forward of and: generally ina horizontal plane passing through said head cross rail in davenport position to provide a mattress stop in said position.

2. Ina davenport bed: a frame; a folding bed bottom having a plurality of foldable sections including a head section with a head cross rail; swinging supporting means mounting said bed bottom on the frame for movement 2,900,646 r 5 6 between a horizontal bed position with said sections co- References Cited in the file of this patent planar and a davenport position in which the head section is upright at the rear of the frame with said cross rail UNITED STATES PATENTS uppermost, said supporting means including a' pair of 1,216,832 Tauber Feb 0 1917 arms pivoted on the rear of the frame and secured to 5 2,544,132 Bua Man 6 1951 the head bed section so as to extend upwardly from said 2,584,146 Martin Feb 5 52 section in bed position and forwardly therefrom in 2,721,337 Bank et a1 Oct 5 55 davenport position; and an equalizer rod secured to 2,729,829 Bebry Jam 10, 195 both said arms, said rod being in the same horizontal 2,740,132 Del campo APR 3, 55 plane with the bed bottom in bed position and a short 10 2,770,814 Schindler 20, 55 distance forward of and generally in a horizontal plane passing through the head cross rail in davenport position FOREIGN PATENTS to provide a mattress stop in said last named position. 682,925 Great Bn'tain Nov. 19, 1952 

